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Pray for the Spread of the Saving Gospel

October 20, 2012by Paul Tautges

Tonight, as you prepare your heart for Lord’s Day worship tomorrow, remember to pray for all those faithful men who preach the gospel week in and week out. Here’s a suggested way to pray from Matthew Henry.

Let the gospel of Christ be preached among all nations to all peoples. For how shall anyone believe in him if they have not heard? How shall they hear without preachers? How shall they preach unless they are sent? We pray for your sovereign help in the spread of the gospel, for who else can thrust forth labourers except you, the Lord of the harvest? Let the people who walk in darkness see a great light. Let light dawn on those who live in the regions of death’s gloomy shadow (Matt 24:14; Rom 10:14; Matt 9:38; Isa 9:2; Matt 4:16).

As the Lord of the harvest, add to your church every single day the ones being saved. Give us faith to enlarge the place of our tent, and expand the curtains of your dwelling. Make us bold to lengthen our cords even as we strengthen our stakes. Bring your saved seed from the east and gather them from the west. Say to the north, ‘Give them up’, and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring your sons from far-off places, and your daughters from the ends of the earth. Let their flocks be accepted on your altar, and let them bring glory to your magnificent house. Let them fly as clouds across the sky, and as doves to their nests (Acts 2:47; Isa 54:2; 43:5-6; 60:7-8).

May sweet-smelling incense be presented to you along with their pure offerings. From the rising of the sun to its going down, let your name be great among the nations. Let the offering of the peoples be acceptable to you, having been sanctified by the Spirit. Let the earth be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Mal 1:11; Rom 15:16; Isa 11:9).

3 Comments

I often forget to pray for my pastor as he prepares for his sermon each Sunday. And even more importantly, the cares of my life and others I am involved in most often cloud my remembering to pray for him during the week. He is my earthly shepherd, one who feeds me spiritually, specifically for each week. I would do well to lift him in up in prayer on a regular basis.

This is a different way to pray for our Pastors, but I think it is very good – “add to your church every single day the ones being saved. Give us faith to enlarge the place of our tent, and expand the curtains of your dwelling. Make us bold to lengthen our cords even as we strengthen our stakes. Bring your saved seed from the east and gather them from the west. Say to the north, ‘Give them up’, and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’” This keeps in perspective that it is the Lord who will enlarge His church, but we need to still be faithful.